Police Officer Clay Foster is finally at peace and happy with his life. He enjoys his career as a member of Houston’s SWAT team, and he loves submitting to his Dom in the bedroom. His life is perfect, until one cruel act destroys Clay’s bubble of happiness. Shattered trust forces Clay to reevaluate his career, his relationship, and himself.

Sergeant Logan Pierce is the leader of Houston’s elite SWAT team. On the force, he’s the best at what he does. In private, the most important thing in his life is taking care of his submissive, Clay. Clay is his whole world, and Logan will do whatever is necessary to keep him safe. Even if that means going up against Clay’s stubbornness in order to help him heal.

Can Logan and Clay work together to rebuild their happiness? Can they find their way back to the shared passion of Dominance and submission? Or will their love and relationship end before it’s truly begun?

Clay lay on the couch, his feet in Logan’s lap. It was a comfortable night. They’d just returned from dinner out with their co-worker, Q, and his wife, Cassie. Q had been a little quiet, but it had been nice to have dinner with the couple. Now they were relaxing before bed. The TV was on, but Clay wasn’t paying any attention to it. Instead, he focused on Logan, who absently rubbed Clay’s foot while they watched the ten o’clock news. He looked good as always, dressed in a lightweight, chocolate-brown sweater that complemented his dark blond hair and hazel eyes. His face was clean-shaven, his jawline hard. Logan looked exactly like what he was—a regimented and in control SWAT team sergeant for the Houston Police Department. When a commercial came on, Clay spoke up. “It’s good to be back home.”

Logan looked down at him with an eyebrow raised. “Home?”

Clay snorted a laugh. As usual, they were at Logan’s house. When he thought about it, he realized he hadn’t been back to his apartment in weeks. In fact, his bags from their recent trip to Colorado were here at Logan’s. He hadn’t bothered to take them back to his place after their return.

“If I’m in your space too much, I can throw all my stuff in the car and head back to my apartment,” he said as he pretended to pull away.

Logan tightened his grip on his foot. “You’re not going anywhere.”

Clay bit his lip to hold back a grin. “I didn’t think you wanted me to. But what I meant is, I feel good about life. That trip was awesome. I got to play in the snow, just like I wanted.”

“And I got to warm you up when you were done.”

“You did a very good job. You might have gotten me a little overheated a few times,” he teased. He wiggled his toes as Logan squeezed his foot again. “You and I are in a great place. And I think things are going to be better at work now too. We redid Hayden’s ridiculous course and passed with flying colors this time.”

“And you didn’t have any fights with Ryan afterward,” Logan said with a smile.

Clay rolled his eyes. “Ryan is cool people now. He wasn’t cool then.”

Logan gave him an admonishing look. “Still, you shouldn’t have started that fight. You knew better.”

“I know. But he pissed me off. And maybe it was good that we had that fight to get all of the animosity out of our systems.”

“Hmm. Maybe.”

“Anyway. I’m hoping the fact that we passed the redo means Hayden will get off our backs and quit fucking with our schedule.”

This time it was Logan who snorted a laugh, but he didn’t otherwise answer. Clay didn’t really expect him to. He was vocal in his dislike of their captain, but Logan wasn’t one to show disrespect for a superior. Hayden had been doing everything he could to piss them off the past couple of months. He hadn’t come out and said it, but Clay figured it was because he and Logan were out and a couple. The captain hadn’t had such a hard-on for making things difficult for their team before their announcement.

“So, you’re good with Ryan. The team is gelling again. And we’re hoping Hayden will finally move on and give up on his pet project of tormenting our team. Anything else?”

Clay shifted, looking at the TV instead of Logan. “What else is there?”

“Are you still blaming yourself for that idiot making those fake calls to our team?”

Clay pulled his feet off Logan’s lap for real this time and got up from the couch. “Why wouldn’t I blame myself? It was my fault.”

“It wasn’t your fault. And I don’t like hearing you say that it was.”

“C’mon, Sarge. You know that was on me.” Clay roughly ran a hand through his hair, turning his back on his lover. “If I hadn’t gone to that convention and went on camera bragging about how badass our team was, that whacko would have never taken it as a challenge to try and prove he was better than us.” He turned back around as Logan grabbed his hand and pulled him to stand in between his legs.

“Maybe not. But maybe he would have taken his anger out in another way.”

“What do you mean?”

“You read the report Roberts put together on the guy. He was looking for revenge because he felt he’d been slighted too many times. What if he’d decided to go on a shooting rampage at IR Media Gaming’s headquarters? What if he’d physically attacked the people he wanted revenge against? That teacher, the store manager, or your friend Ian? Someone or several someones could have been hurt. At least with the revenge tactics he chose, no one was. We managed to catch the idiot, and hopefully he’ll be granted some time to think about what he did.”

“Are you forgetting he tried to kill me?” Clay saw a muscle tic in Logan’s jaw at the question, his hazel eyes going hard before he answered.

“No, I’m not forgetting.”

Clay tilted his head to the side as he studied his lover. “You know, I noticed that the perp seemed a little worse for wear before you got him loaded in the patrol car.” Along with Ryan, Clay had been the last to leave the guy’s apartment. By the time he’d made it outside and down the stairs, he’d noticed Carlos, Logan’s best friend, standing at the corner of the building, looking like he was keeping watch. A few moments later, Logan had led the man from around the side of the apartment building. He hadn’t had any marks on him, but he’d been bent over, coughing as Logan walked him to the squad car. “Did you do anything to cause that?”

“I’ll never let anyone hurt you.”

Logan’s response was a non-answer, but it confirmed Clay’s suspicions. “I’m a cop. On occasion, I might get hurt. And you can’t go after people because of that.”

“And you’re mine. Did you forget that?”

Clay shook his head. “No, Sir.”

“Come here.” Clay followed the gentle pull Logan gave his hand to drop down to the couch and straddle his lap.

“You’re my lover. My submissive. It’s my right and my pleasure to protect you, always.” He brought a hand up, his thumb sliding across the metal collar that circled Clay’s neck. “I won’t let anything or anyone hurt you or take you away from me.”

A thrill shot through Clay at that declaration. Logan’s unapologetic possessiveness had caused problems early on in their relationship, but they’d worked on it and come to an understanding on boundaries. Now, he was able to revel in Logan’s possessiveness and caring, because he knew it wouldn’t get out of hand. Clay pressed his forehead to Logan’s and closed his eyes. “I love when you talk to me like that.”

Logan’s hand moved to grip the back of his neck. “Do you?”

His eyes still closed, Clay nodded.

“Tell me why.”

“Because it makes me feel like the most important thing in your world. I’ve never felt like that with anyone.”

“It’s true. You are the most important thing to me. Having you in my life, wearing my collar, means everything to me.”

Clay opened his eyes and looked into his lover’s gaze, seeing the sincerity there. Not that he doubted him. Logan had proven time and time again how much he loved him. “I don’t deserve you, Sir. And I don’t do enough to show you how much I love you in return.”

“You don’t have to do anything to deserve me. I’m with you because I don’t ever want to be with anyone else.”

“Well, maybe I can show you what I feel tonight. Physically.” He brought a hand up to rub the pad of muscle on Logan’s chest. “Let me serve you, Sir.”

Christa Tomlinson is an exciting up and coming author in erotic romance. Christa graduated from The University of Missouri-St. Louis with a degree in history. She loves to create stories that are emotional and lovely with sex that is integral to the characters' romantic arc. Her books include straight couples, curvy couples, gay, and multicultural couples. Love is love and everyone should have their story told.

Christa lives in Houston, Texas with her two dogs, and is a retired roller derby player. She enjoys hearing from readers, other authors and aspiring writers. For more on Christa's work, including deleted scenes, excerpts, and free reads, visit www.ChristaTomlinson.com

In the summer of
‘96, Benjamin Hackett has come of age, technically. And in the
midst of the celebratory hangover, his world is whipped out from
under his feet. His parents have finally shared their lifelong secret
with him; he’s adopted.

At the age of 18, the boy still has
some growing up to do, and with the help of JJ, his loquacious
consigliore and bodyguard, he embarks on an adventure that’ll put
to bed a lifetime of lies.

Over the course of five days, they
find themselves caught up in the darker side of Cork. But when they
sweep through the misfits blocking their way and finally discover the
truth of it…now that’s the greatest shock of all.

The
Origins of Benjamin Hackett
is a tender tale of heartache and displacement told through a wry and
courageous voice. Set in Ireland, it’s a timely reminder that the
world hasn’t moved on just as fast as we fancy. Now, in this
emotionally charged story, Gerald M. O’Connor explores conditioned
guilt and its consequences in a country still hiding from the sins of
its past.

O’Connor’s
book draws on a time when the Catholic Church in Ireland would
quietly take children from mothers in convents and Magdalene
Laundries and deposit them into new homes, making it nearly
impossible for these kids to find their real parents. Attempts by
children to find their birth parents were often blocked by a dark web
of secrecy and bureaucracy that, in many ways, still continues to
haunt the country today.

Brimming
with unfathomable escapades, a motley crew of characters and a
healthy serving of Irish humor, O’Connor’s book is steeped in
Irish culture told in the inimitable Corkman’s brogue. Set in a
time before the chaos of modern digital culture, The
Origins of Benjamin Hackett
takes a step back, allowing space for readers to escape and think
about the realities of growing up in a family founded on a lie. In
his stylish debut, O’Connor shows an amazing ability to paint
heartbreak and longing that will keep readers thinking about The
Origins of Benjamin Hackett
long after they finish the story.

“‘The
Origins of Benjamin Hackett’ by Gerald O'Connor is a raucous and
riotous coming-of-age story that is brutal, tender and hilarious.”

–
Paul
D. Brazill, author of A Case of Noir and Guns of Brixton“O’Connor
doles out killer dialogue that adds oodles of character to this
hero’s journey. Told with the lilt and panache of Joseph O’Connor
and Dermot Bolger in their novels of the ‘90s, Gerald O’Connor is
the new and improved voice we've been waiting for.”

–
Gerard
Brennan, author of Undercover and Wee Rockets“Visceral
writing that inherits a long Irish tradition. O’Connor’s
narrative contains sharp characterization, and has an assured voice,
while dramatizing conditioned guilt with humor and style.”–
Richard Godwin, author of Apostle Rising, Mr. Glamour, One Lost
Summer and others

“If
you’re expecting the usual coming-of-age tale, you’re in for a
big shock. This is a tale big on heart and one which the author,
Gerald O’Connor, has hied religiously to the advice of Harry Crews
for writers, to ‘leave out the parts readers skip.’ None of those
parts remain in these pages. An auspicious debut!”–
Les Edgerton, author of The Death of Tarpons, The Bitch, The Genuine,
Imitation, Plastic Kidnapping, Bomb and others

GERALD
M. O’CONNOR is a native Corkonian, currently living in Dublin with
his long-term partner, Rosemarie, along with their three children. He
writes character-driven novels of various genres by night and is a
dentist by day. When he isn’t glued to the keyboard, he enjoys
sci-fi films, spending time with his family and being anywhere in
sight of the sea. He is currently working on his second novel, The
Tanist.

A simple mistake brings the world to its knees with no notice or time to prepare. Young and inexperienced, first term president Baron York will have a lot to answer for when it's finally done. If, that is, there's anyone left to answer to.Lessons from The Great Depression make an encore performance at the Hamilton property as they try to stay alive...and sane. Where were you when the world went dark and everything stopped?

I wanted to be pissed off, that once again, I was going to be doing the lifting part, but judging by Christian’s demeanor, after his catatonic display, I kept my opinion to myself. After he was in the house and the door closed I spun on Barney. I should’ve been more careful, but my second thoughts were too late as I accused, “What the hell happened this morning?”

Barney’s single finger flashed up, and his face brooked no attitude. “Take it down a notch young lady, and I will explain.”

I paced away and back several times before I had myself under control. Nodding, I acquiesced. “Okay.”

Barney heaved a heavy sigh as he leaned on the trunk. His arms folded up at the elbows and his hands roughed his beard. “There weren’t as many people this morning as there were last night, but the people this morning didn’t have their act together. It was mass chaos everywhere we went. Getting in and getting out was an exercise in navigating a stampede. People were pushing, shoving, fighting, and there were enough weapons around to arm a small militia. Very few had vehicles that were functioning. I had challenges navigating the crowd that swarmed the car. More than one tried, but failed,” he gave me a look that clearly relayed the severity of the situation, “to take possession of the car. At one point, while Christian was still in it.”

.

Author Bio:

A lifelong lover of words and reading, Savannah Verte hasn’t quite figured out what she wants to write when she grows up. Born and raised in the upper Midwest, Savannah’s gypsy spirit and never quit attitude keep her busy and seldom idle. For so many reasons, Savannah considers herself a ‘Contemporary Vagabond’ when it comes to writing and hopes that others find her diverse offerings as enjoyable to read as they are to write.

Her first release in decades, Viva Zapata & the Magic 8-Ball began the journey August 1, 2015. Her short story, What they didn’t know, was featured in the January/February BTS magazine, and she co-authored a paranormal piece, Kingdoms Fall, which came out in early 2016. Her next two solo ventures, the first two books in The Custos series -Book of Time & Book of Change also released in 2016. After that, she’ll be working on her competition piece, Chasing Daylight for Cherry Adair’s Finish the Damn Book Challenge, she has an upcoming anthology work called Immortal Alchemy, and an untitled short story for a charity anthology that is a TBA release. There is a long list of titles to come after those are done too.

As the primary owner and driving force behind Eclectic Bard Books she considers herself immensely fortunate to see writing from varied perspectives as she endeavors to publish the authors rostered there. Working with other writers, Savannah gets to expand her horizons every day as someone brings a new idea to the table and the brainstorming begins. There is something addictive about the creative process for her and helping other authors embrace their dreams make hers a reality daily.

That’s the official Savannah, the unofficial version is just a girl who loves experiencing life with every twist and turn it takes. When she was born, she had such fine, light hair that her mother used to tape bows to her head so people would know she was a girl. She’s had a host of crazy unrelated jobs- everything from cake decorator, dry cleaner, and insurance agent to Emergency Room assistant, bartender, crime lab tech and bouncer. Savannah loves air hockey but completely sucks at it. She loves good jazz, good scotch, and antiques but also old rock, a quiet tea, and a tidy home. She’s completely technology impaired and can get it after she’s broken the computer or done it ass-backwards a few times… Thank Gods that there are some amazing meme creators that let her pilfer images or she’d be lost. Lime green is her color, the rhinoceros is her logo & philosophy, and she’s completely mad about seeing new authors try.